Water shedding designs for receptacle bottoms

ABSTRACT

A design for water shedding receptacle bottoms is presented in this invention. For ease in understanding, the specific case of a water shedding mug is presented and described in detail. The mug is designed such that water will run off the bottom of the mug when it is inverted in a dishwasher. The design is comprised of a convex bottom, a series of raised curvilinear forms radiating outward from the center of the bottom of the mug, and an associated high point on each curvilinear form at or near the periphery of the inverted mug. The convex bottom and raised curvilinear forms to form flow channels through which water will flow via normal gravitational forces when the mug is inverted in a dishwasher.

Cross Reference To Related Applications

This Continuation Application claims priority to U.S. Non-Provisionalpatent application Ser. No. 11/290,345 filed on Nov. 30, 2005 which inturn claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.60/633,014 dated Dec. 3, 2004.

Federal Research Statement

None

Background of the Invention

This invention relates to the design of the bottoms of mugs, cups, bowlsand other kitchen receptacles that facilitates the runoff of water fromthe dishwashing process. More specifically, the invention relates to thedesign of the bottoms of said mugs, cups, bowls and other kitchenreceptacles such that water will automatically run off the bottomsurface of said vessels when the vessel is inverted during or after thedishwashing process.

One of the more persistent problems associated with the dishwashingprocess, whether hand dishwashing or automatic dishwashing, is thepresence of standing water in the concave surfaces of most mugs, cups,bowls and other kitchen receptacles, when any of the aforementioneditems are inverted and placed on a rack in an automatic dishwasher orare inverted for drying after hand washing. When such items are removedfrom the dishwashing area and placed in cupboards or other areas of thekitchen before the water has had an opportunity to evaporate, the watermay remain in the concave bottom of the items or it may spill out andcause dampness on other items or on surface areas. This can be asignificant problem in that such surfaces with standing water can befertile breeding grounds for germs, insects, mold and diseases attendantwith these organisms. The health impacts of having such organisms nearor even on surfaces that eventually find their way into the mouths offamily members, hospital patients, dining hall patrons, or restaurantcustomers is obvious. Also, it is an annoyance and makes for extra workin the kitchen, as the handler of such items will generally take thetrouble to empty the concave surface into the sink and then wipe it drywith a dishcloth or paper towel (which results in the consumption ofadditional paper towels).

The water shedding designs inherent in this invention provide mechanismswhereby virtually all water will automatically run off from the bottomsurfaces of mugs, cups, bowls and other kitchen receptacles without anyfurther action on the part of any person in the kitchen. The fact thatwater runs off automatically eliminates the extra work of disposing ofthe water and drying the surfaces with a dishcloth or paper towel, andprovides a significant reduction in standing water in kitchens, therebyreducing the potential for the proliferation of mold and otherinfectious microbes in kitchens, cupboards, and other storage areas.

The invention has further application to receptacles of all sizes thatare susceptible to the standing water problem. For example, largeindustrial drums which are stored outside in either an upright orinverted position tend to accumulate rain water on the upper surface.This accumulated rain water leads to a more rapid onset of rust anddeterioration of the drum. In addition, standing water on the drumspresents a health hazard as it presents a significant mosquito breedingproblem.

While the present invention is applicable to a wide variety ofreceptacles ranging from kitchen receptacles (such as mugs, glasses, andbowls) to large industrial drums, for ease in understanding, theinvention is described in detail using a basic kitchen mug as anexample. The attributes of the invention described in the kitchen mugexample are applicable to all other types of receptacles.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention is a design of the bottoms of mugs, cups, bowls and otherkitchen receptacles that facilitates the runoff of water from thedishwashing process. A possible second component might be water-sheddingcaps that can be placed on the inverted bottoms of mugs, cups, bowls andother kitchen receptacles that would ordinarily accumulate standingwater in their concave bottoms.

Standing water inherent in the dishwashing process is at best anannoyance and a cause of extra work in the kitchen, and at worst apotential source of microbes that can accumulate in such standing waterin the bottoms of such items. The standing water accumulates becausemany such items have concave bottoms, which collect water when the itemsare placed bottom-up in a dishwasher or dish drying rack.

Using the design of a coffee mug as an example, most mugs are designedsuch that the bottom of the mug is concave - that is, they curve inwardfrom the bottom. This is not a problem when the mug is upright. However,when the mug is inverted, water will accumulate in the concave surfaceof the bottom of the mug. Most mugs are inverted and positioned on arack when they are placed into a dishwasher. This combination of concavebottom design and inverted positioning in a dishwasher results in theaccumulation of standing water from the dishwashing process.

The same type of standing water problem exists for bowls, pitchers,glasses, cups etc. Note that the problem does not exist for some otherkitchen items including plates because these items are rarely placedinto a dishwasher in such a position that they can accumulate standingwater.

Many dishwashers have a drying cycle in order to ensure that allsurfaces are dry upon completion of the entire dishwashing process.However, many people, in an effort to save energy, do not use thisdrying cycle. In addition, some mugs accumulate so much standing waterthat it can not all be dissipated by the drying cycle. The problemoccurs when mugs are removed while still containing standing water. If amug is turned right side up, water spills out onto whatever surface orother items are below, and a film of water remains on the bottom of themug. If the mug is stored bottom-up, some or all of the water thataccumulated in the concave surface will remain there, presenting aperfect opportunity for microbes and mold to form.

The design of the integral mug is such that the bottom of the mug isbasically convex, so that water will readily run off the bottom when themug is inverted. The basic convex surface is modified by molding onto ita number of raised? curvilinear forms radiating from the center andbuilding up to rounded high points on or near the rim, each of which isslightly higher (when the mug is inverted) than the center of the bottomof the mug. The raised curvilinear forms are gently sloping and arefurther configured such that they effectively create “flow channels”through which water can flow to the periphery of the inverted mug andultimately harmlessly over the side of the inverted mug. The forms areso configured such that no water will accumulate on the bottom of themug if it is level or tilted to about 30 degrees on the dishwasher rack.

The high points on the periphery of the bottom of the inverted mug thatare integral to the gently sloping curvilinear forms provide stabilityto the upright mug. When the mug is in the upright position, it rests onthese high points. Each curvilinear form has a peripheral high point.The number of curvilinear forms and attendant high points will vary withthe size of the mug, glass, bowl or other kitchen receptacle. Theminimum amount of forms/high points is four for a small mug, glass, orbowl. As the mugs, glasses, or bowls become larger, the number ofcurvilinear forms and associated high points will concomitantlyincrease.

The number of these curvilinear forms will depend on the size of the mugor other vessel, with the simultaneous goal of effective water-sheddingwhen the vessel is inverted and stability when the vessel is standing onits bottom. A normal coffee mug or drinking glass will have five or sixforms. An oversize coffee or beer mug might have seven or eight forms,and large kitchen bowls might have eight or more.”

The concept of the invention could be extended to a convex shaped capthat is placed snuggly over the bottom of a mug, cup, bowl or otherkitchen receptacle. The cap can be constructed of any material that isimpervious to water and able to withstand the water temperature anddrying temperatures in a dishwasher, including, but not limited toplastic, rubber, and neoprene.

The concept of the invention can further be extended to other types ofreceptacles such as industrial drums, garbage cans, and other containerswhich may be stored outside in either an upright or inverted position.Rain water often accumulates on the exposed upper surfaces of thesereceptacles thereby leading to a more rapid onset of rust while at thesame time presenting a breeding ground for mosquitoes and otherorganisms. The invention can manifest itself in the manufacture ofintegral water shedding upper and/or lower surfaces of these drums,cans, and other containers or it can manifest itself as a convex shapedcap (as discussed above) for these receptacles.

A further enhancement of the instant invention entails coating thebottom of the various receptacles with a thin layer of silicon, Teflon,or other similar coating that will enhance the flow of water from theinverted surface.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a side view of the water shedding mug featuring the convexbottom with the convex bottom, raised curvilinear forms, and highpoints.

FIG. 2 shows an exploded view of the water shedding mug.

FIG. 3 shows a bottom view of the water shedding mug including five (5)curvilinear forms, flow channels and high points.

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the water shedding mug.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to water shedding designs for the bottoms ofreceptacles such as mugs, cups, bowls, drinking glasses, etc. In orderto aid the understanding of the invention, the specific case of a mug isused to demonstrate the features and uniqueness of the invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a side view of a mug 10 is shown. With theexception of the bottom of the mug, the mug is just like other mugsfound on the market. The uniquely designed bottom of the mug iscomprised of a convex bottom 20 which slopes gently from the center ofthe bottom of the mug to the periphery. Arising from the convex surfaceare gently sloping curvilinear forms that radiate from the center of thebottom of the inverted mug towards the periphery. High points 30 on thecurvilinear forms at or near the periphery of the mug provide stabilitywhen the mug is in the upright position.

The water shedding attribute of the instant design can be enhanced byaffixing a layer of silicon, Teflon, or similar material to the convexbottom 20 of the mug. The silicon or Teflon minimizes the adhesiveforces of the water to the bottom of the mug thereby enhancing the flowof water through the flow channels 40.

Referring to FIG. 2, an exploded view of the water shedding mug 10 ispresented. This view clearly shows the convex bottom 20 of the mug. Italso clearly shows how the curvilinear forms are configured to form highpoints 30 on the periphery of the mug. There are at least fourcurvilinear forms and associated high points 30 inherent in the designand they are positioned equidistant around the periphery of the mug.This FIG. 2 shows five high points 30 which provide stability for themug. Furthermore, the high points should generally be configured suchthat they are slightly above the highest point of the convex bottom whenthe mug is inverted in order to enhance stability.

Referring to FIG. 3, a bottom view of the water shedding mug ispresented. This view clearly shows the flow channels 40 formed by theconvex bottom 20 and the curvilinear forms. The design of the watershedding mug allows any water that would otherwise be trapped in manytraditional or standard mugs when inverted in a dishwasher to flow downthe flow channels 40 and eventually down the sides of the inverted watershedding mug 10 and eventually down the side of the mug and finally offthe mug altogether.

Referring to FIG. 4, a perspective view of the water shedding mug 10 isshown. This view presents another view of how the flow channels 40 areformed by the convex bottom 20 and curvilinear forms and associated highpoints 30. This view also shows how the bottoms 45 of the high pointscan be leveled off in order to enhance the stability of the mug 10.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIGS. 1-4 illustrate one preferred embodiment of the water sheddingdesigns for receptacle bottoms of the present invention—morespecifically, a mug. It can be appreciated that the various aspects ofthis invention can be slightly modified and combined in various wayswhile still achieving the basic benefits encompassed within the scopeand spirit of the present invention. The essential components of theinvention are: 1) the convex bottom 20 of the receptacle, 2) four ormore curvilinear forms radiating from the center of the inverted mug andassociated high points 30 around the periphery of the bottom of thereceptacle, and 3) flow channels 40 formed by the convex bottom and thecurvilinear forms. These basic components are embodied in the preferredmode as shown in FIGS. 1-4.

The high points 30 as shown in FIGS. 1-4 are somewhat rounded in orderto preclude sharp edges that may more easily break under the strain offrequent handling. Five high points 30 are shown in the preferredembodiment in order to optimize the delicate balance between stabilityof the upright mug 10 and sufficient width of the flow channels 40 toeffect nearly complete run off of water from the bottom of thereceptacle.

1. A drinking mug comprising an convex external bottom, at least fourcurvilinear forms radiating outward from the center of the externalbottom outward toward the periphery, at least four flow channels formedby the curvilinear forms and said convex external bottom, and a highpoint at or near the periphery of each such curvilinear form that isslightly higher than the highest point of the inverted convex externalbottom, that are so configured such that water runs off the bottom ofthe external periphery of the mug when the mug is inverted.
 2. Adrinking mug as in claim 1 where the external bottom of the mug iscoated with a water repellent material to enhance the flow of waterthrough the flow channels.
 3. A drinking glass comprising an convexexternal bottom, at least four curvilinear forms radiating outward fromthe center of the external bottom outward toward the periphery, at leastfour flow channels formed by the curvilinear forms and said convexexternal bottom, and a high point at or near the periphery of each suchcurvilinear form that is slightly higher than the highest point of theinverted convex external bottom, that are so configured such that waterruns off the bottom of the external periphery of the drinking glass whenthe glass is inverted.
 4. A drinking glass as in claim 3 where theexternal bottom of the glass is coated with a water repellent materialto enhance the flow of water through the flow channels.
 5. A kitchenbowl comprising an convex external bottom, at least four curvilinearforms radiating outward from the center of the external bottom outwardtoward the periphery, at least four flow channels formed by thecurvilinear forms and said convex external bottom, and a high point ator near the periphery of each such curvilinear form that is slightlyhigher than the highest point of the inverted convex external bottom,that are so configured such that water runs off the bottom of theexternal periphery of the kitchen bowl when the kitchen bowl isinverted.
 6. A kitchen bowl as in claim 5 where the external bottom ofthe mug is coated with a water repellent material to enhance the flow ofwater through the flow channels.